Dog Days: Retaliation Remastered
by Zoids Fanatic
Summary: Ten years after the last adventure in Flonyard, Shinku is living a rather dull but comfortable life in suburban America as a tax consultant. But when an old friends reveals what has happened to Flonyard, Shinku must once again return to this land of fantasy to fight off a much more lethal threat. He won't be alone, though. New and old friends will be by his side despite the odds.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dog Days or really anything else in the story.**

**Warning: While this story isn't depraved of overly dark, but will touch on some, well, _touchy_ subject. So if you are one to get quickly offended then this story isn't the one for you.**

**Forward: This is the re-write of DDR and the second story in my "Remaster" trilogy. See the Author's Note at the bottom for more detail. So enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

Shinku Izumi strummed his fingers on his desk as he looked at the computer screen before him; covered with numbers and facts. Shinku wasn't a boy any more, but a man. Well he was only twenty-four and in the year 2023 that was still pretty young. The young man had a lifetime worth of achievements to look forward to. So why, then, was he working a nine-to-five job as a tax consultant for a firm in California? When did his life actually become this dull?

It could have been when his family moved from Japan to America only a mere ten years ago. Although he did have to admit that his appearance and lifestyle were more suited for the new country as opposed to Japan. But he would still feel that Japan was more of a home then America, although America did fare better in World War III as opposed to Japan. Tapping his fingers in rhythm to a song he heard on the radio this morning, Shinku began to scroll through the wall of numbers and figures. It was his job after all.

Job, huh? He thought as he began to notice a sharp decline in the company's finances during the summer. Asking the younger Shinku what he wanted to be when he grew up you would expect the answer of "athlete" or "hero". Tax consultant just didn't have the same ring, did it? But hero… Shinku leaned back in his chair and stroked his face. The word hero for him held such a nostalgic taste with a bitter undertone. For Shinku was once a hero. The Hero of Biscotti.

Years ago, Shinku had discovered the world of Flonyard. Or more specifically the world of Flonyard discovered_him_. The young Shinku was thrust into an epic war between two nations, a war in which no one died thankfully, and along the way met friends and enemies alike. Actually, he couldn't recall any enemies_per say_. A few that antagonized him, yes, but no one that was ever outright hostile or attempted to kill him. And the war wasn't so much a war as a sports competition that just happened to have bows, swords, and fighting. Shinku much preferred _that _fighting as opposed to guns, bombers, and drones.

But overall, Shinku's memory was hazy about the past. And at times he pondered did any of his adventures ever happen? Did he just dream them all up? Maybe he was in a coma for six months on in?

"Hey, Shin!" a coworker approached the young man. "Shin" was a nickname he carried as soon as he moved to America. It was apparently easier to pronounce then _Shinku_. Also better sounding then another nickname he once gained, "Sink". Yes, throughout his Junior year of high school he was called Sink.

"What's up?" Shinku spun around in his chair to meet his coworker

"Greg wants to know if you got the Jefferson Report ready yet." The other replied. Shinku sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"No, still working on it. The finance department was a real bitch about letting me actually_see _the financial report. Just started looking over it today." Shinku rubbed his chin as he spoke. "Tell him I'll hand in the report on Monday." He added, eyeing the clock that hung on the office wall. It was four thirty, meaning his shift was almost over.

"Alright." The coworker replied. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Me and some of the others are heading down to Jonny's tonight. You in?" Jonny's was the name of a sports-bar that Shinku's coworkers frequently visited after work. Shinku had been to the bar a few times and admittedly it was fun. But tonight was different.

"Nah, I'll have to pass. You know Fridays are the date night with the lady." Shinku replied with a smirk.

"Oh, look at you Shin. Planning on getting lucky tonight?" the coworker cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe." Shinku shrugged as he turned around in his seat to face his computer. The other nodded and carried on with his job, as did Shinku. While the young man was friendly he did have some trouble making friends oddly enough. He did have friends, of course. A coworker and a few college roommates he still kept in touch with, along with his girlfriend. But besides this small group, Shinku normally kept to himself. Not anti-social, just preoccupied with life was all. When the clock finally hit five, Shinku was quick to leave his seat and head for his car. For a former hero of a magic world, you would have thought his mode of transport would be a bit flashier then a baby-blue Prius. Well, it had good gas mileage at least. But rather than starting the vehicle Shinku gripped the steering wheel with one hand and rubbed his face with the other.

"Flonyard." He mumbled. "Why the hell did I think about that place again?" he looked at himself through his rear-view mirror. He surely wasn't the little boy he once was. Gone was his bright blonde hair and blue eyes. In their place was a mass of brown hair and dull blue eyes. At least he still could claim he looked "fit". But whatever, he thought starting the car and beginning driving down the same route on California's highway as he always drove and returned to his small home located in a quaint little suburb. Pulling into the driveway, he let out a sigh and placed his head on the steering wheel. "Is my life really this dull?" he asked aloud. But without an answer he parked his car in the garage, locked it, and entered his home. As soon as he set foot in his house, a brown dog eagerly ran up to the man and barked happily.

"Hey, Tatsumaki! How you doing boy?" Shinku smiled, kneeling by the dog and petting him before getting to his feet. "Hey, I'm home!" Shinku called out, taking his shoes off and placing them by the door. Some habits never do change.

"Oh? Good! I'm in the living room!" Replied a voice from the living room. Shinku smiled and walked into the living room of his house, Tatsumaki following close beside. Shinku then took a seat next to a attractive young woman dressed in simple green tank-top and tight shorts.

"Ugh. Another long day." Shinku yawned and stretched. "Mr. Gregory wanted the Jefferson Report, and finances was being a real pain in the ass. Again" He ducked his head in a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "How about you?" Shinku asked the person sitting beside him.

"Nothing really. Like every day." She replied as she rolled her eyes. "Practiced a bit on some of the dummies in the back, though." She thumbed to the glass door that led to the backyard. Standing in the middle of the yard were three rather mauled plastic training dummies.

"Ah. Yeah I'll need to buy some more then." Shinku replied. "Try not to break 'em this time around, Éclair." He looked over at the woman besides him. Éclair Martinozzi, Shinku's girlfriend, was not a native of America, or Japan, or even Britain. No. She was a native Flonyard, which apparently meant she had dog ears and tail, who arrived on Earth ten years ago. Though before that, Shinku knew her well from his infrequent visits to Flonyard. So it did surprise him one day, ten long years ago, when he found Éclair standing over his bed with arms crossed and a face to match. She told him that Princess Millhiore F. Biscotti had requested her and Tatsumaki "guard" Shinku. Not even a day after her arrival on Earth, she lost all contact with the Kingdom of Biscotti. She and Tatsumaki were trapped on Earth.

With nowhere to go, she was "accepted" in by the Izumi family. Since she had no birth certificate they couldn't just adopt her, but that didn't stop the family from caring about her as if she was one of their own. But Éclair was hit hard by culture shock. Everything she had once accepted as truths of the world was overwritten. War was not noble and people died. Greed and corruption ran rampant. Society as a whole seemed to be rotten compared to Flonyard. The only silver lining Éclair found was Shinku, who still was the same person on Earth as he was in her land. This was one of the main reasons why she accepted his proposal of love.

But life for Éclair, much like Shinku, was boring. Since she had no record about her existence she was rather excluded from many things society could offer. She couldn't drive, hold a job, or even join the military which greatly upset her. She passed the time, though, honing her combat skills. There was a lot of knife fighting and martial arts skills humans had to offer and Éclair was eager to learn as much as she could. Thankfully she could easily walk around in public, having learned a trick to tuck her tail in her pants and to pass off her ears as odd patches of hair. So she was able to attend many of combat-based classes. If she had absolutely nothing to do, she found gardening to be a relaxing.

But today was different than the other six days of the week. It was Friday, which meant date night. Of course date night itself feel into a routine, with the young couple normally ordering take-out Chinese or a pizza and watching a movie.

"Tell me, Éclair… are we boring?" Shinku asked suddenly as Éclair flipped through a fashion magazine.

"What do you mean?" Éclair eyed her boyfriend.

"Well, I was thinking on the way from work that things are a bit… routine." He rubbed his tired face and leaned back on the sofa. "I mean, even our sex life is kinda dull if ya think about it."

"Shinku… I told you this I don't know how many times. I don't consider doggystyle racist. If you just ask…"

"That's not what I mean. I just mean… what happened to the adventures we used to have when we were younger? I mean, I know your home hasn't called…" Shinku stopped speaking at that moment. "I'm sorry." Shinku replied with a mummer. The young woman frowned a bit and tilted her head.

"Shinku, you don't need to keep apologizing about it. I… I don't know why I was left behind. It's not your fault." She replied, stroking his cheek. The subject of Flonyard was rather a taboo subject for the two.

"I know. But I just can't help but feel that it's my fault." He frowned. Éclair rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit.

"It's not your fault, Shinku. I've been telling you this for years. I do miss my home, yes, but I've grown used to this world. To you." She blushed a little and took his hand. "Now then, how about we move this conversation to the bedroom. Hmm?' She spoke in a hint of seduction. "It's date night tonight, isn't it?" Shinku gulped and let Éclair lead him to their shared room. Tatsumaki watched the two enter the room and shut the door. The dog whimpered a bit as he lay down with paws stretched. Shinku was a good owner, of course, but Tatsumaki always felt a bit left out at times. Especially during the two's "playtime". But something else concerned the dog at that moment.

* * *

><p>"Well, Shinku, you're not taking the lead tonight?" Éclair asked as Shinku stripped to his boxers and laid on the bed. He only shook his head no while she leaned in began to kiss his neck.<p>

"You're eager tonight." He replied while Éclair sat squarely on his waist and began to pull her shirt off, much to the eager delight of Shinku. But before she could expose herself in full, Tatsumaki began barking. Shinku sighed and gently pushed Éclair off him. "Guess he needs to go out." He chuckled, looking over at Éclair as he headed for the door. "Well, don't stop without me. I'll be back it a sec." he grinned, opening the door and looking down at the barking dog. "Hey boy. Need to go out?" he asked. Tatsumaki began to circle him and whimper. The man, however let the dog guide him. But rather than making a bee-line to the door, Tatsumaki ran for the kitchen. Shinku, rather surprised, followed the dog to the kitchen. Maybe he was hungry? But as soon as he stepped foot in the kitchen he felt the barrel of a gun being lodged into the side of his head and heard Tatsumaki growl.

"Don't move." A voice ordered. "I'll ask you a simple question. Are you or are you not Izumi Shinku. Simple question with a yes or no." the voice spoke. Shinku remained absolutely still, his hands raised.

"I am him." He replied. Nothing ruins the evening quite like being held up in your own home.

"Izumi Shinku, Hero of Biscotti. That one?" the voice asked.

"Yes…" he replied, the voice sounding more familiar the more Shinku thought on it. "Look, whatever you want just take it. OK. No need to get violent."

"Christ, you're dense." The voice replied as Shinku felt the gun being removed from his head. As soon as it was removed, Shinku quickly turned spun around and tackled the intruder, pinning him to the ground and knocking the gun away. It was then he could see the intruder in full. Dress in grey pants with matching hoodie jacket, Shinku noted that this odd man had cat ears and a tail. Rather than worry, the man seemed rather thrilled. "Is this any way to treat a friend?"

"Gaul?" Shinku replied with a look of confusion, gazing down at his former friend. It was then that Éclair barged into the kitchen, thankfully dressed to Shinku's relief.

"Shinku! What's wrong! And who's that!" she pointed at Gaul. Gaul tilted his head to gaze at the other and waved his hand.

"Yo! Mind calling off your attack dog?" he pointed to Shinku, who reluctantly removed himself from the man. Gaul got to his feet and retrieved his gun, a Glock 37, shoving it into a leg hoister.

"Gaul, what the hell are you going here?" Shinku asked, going to Éclair's side. Éclair crossed her arms while Tatsumaki still growled at the young prince. Gaul Galette Des Rois was his name, the prince of Galette Dominion and the young brother of Leonmitchelli Galette des Rois. Neither Éclair nor Shinku had seen Gaul for years.

"Well, I would ask you the same thing." Gaul crossed his hands with a smug.

"This is _my house_." Shinku snarled. "And what are you doing pointing a gun at me in my own home?"

"I was asking her." Gaul pointed to Éclair.

"I live with Shinku." She replied with a frown.

"Ah. Been getting busy then, eh? Never thought you two would be going at it, to be quite frankly. Well, whatever floats your boat." He leaned against the refrigerator, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Mind if I light up?"

"Yes. Yes I do." Shinku furrowed his brow. "If you wanna smoke, go do it outside." Shinku pointed to the back door. Gaul only shrugged and headed for the back door. Shinku and Éclair looked at one another and sighed.

"I'll go talk to him." He said as he began to head back to the bedroom. He wasn't going in a boxer, that's for sure.

* * *

><p>"OK, start talking." Shinku, now dressed in proper clothing, sat beside Gaul on an outdoor wicker chair. Gaul, cigarette in hand, was watching the sky slowly fade to black.<p>

"About?" Gaul eyed Shinku.

"Why you're here, why no one ever asked for Éclair. And why you pointed a gun at me!"

"Well, I just had to make sure you weren't packing." Gaul blew out a puff of smoke. "As for the other answers… I think its best we answer that inside." Gaul rose to his feet, but Shinku placed an arm in front of him.

"Smoke free home." He said. Gaul rolled his eyes and tossed the half-burnt cigarette to the ground, smashing it with his boot. He then gave a sly grin to Shinku who also responded by rolling his eyes.

"So, where should I start?" Gaul asked as he entered the home and took a seat on the couch in the living room. "I'm sure neither one of you are interested in what I've been doing so I'll skip that detail." He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back into his seat.

"First tell me why no one ever contacted me. Why I was sent to earth in the first place!" Éclair chimed in, standing in the corner of the room with arms crossed.

"I'll get to it. Settle down." Gaul replied, scratching his chin. "I should start from the beginning. Remember that cave we went to all those years ago? You know the one. With the monsters and tits?" Gaul referred to one adventure the three partook in to stop a demon mouse. A lot of clothes were ripped that time, Shinku and Éclair recalled. "Well after I told my sis about it she started to panic. If that seal broke, she said, what was to stop the other seals from breaking?"

"I thought we fixed them up, though." Shinku added.

"Well, that's what we thought." Gaul replied. "But, as it turned out, we shouldn't have been worrying about those long-forgotten demons. We should have been worrying about new ones. See, a little known fact was that there's a wizard that lived on some high mountain. Was a complete nutcase, that one. But after hearing about the recent demons roaming around, the guy went "hey, I know what this world needs more of! Violent demons!". And so, this little nut went and made a pack with some dark being. He would allow some dark lord and his army into Flonyard if he was allowed to be made king. Never trust a demon."

"So the wizard got killed, huh?" Éclair asked. She never recalled any of this story. Was she there during this time?

"No. Genoise was able to arrest him and we locked the bastard up." Gaul replied. Now that Éclair did remember. Though from what she heard the "wizard" was just a petty thief. Well that would explain why such a lowly criminal got huge media coverage. "We thought we got him in time… but turns out we were wrong. One demon got through, the dark lord. I think he called himself Valder or something. Anyway, this guy was now on the loose and rather than cause a panic my sister and Millhiore did their best to downplay this incident." Gaul paused for a moment. "What was the name of your little friend? You know, that fox lady?" he pointed at Shinku.

"Yukki." Éclair answered quickly. Yukki was the nickname of Yukikaze Panettone, a rather well-endowed ninja that served under Brioche D'Arquien.

"Yes. Well Millhiore sent her out to go after the demon. After a week she came back battered and sprouting gibberish. Took a month to actually calm her down where she could start explaining things." And it was at that Éclair began to remember. She was sent to Earth the same day word had come that Yukki was supposed to be arriving.

"I recall that… Yukki leaving, that is. I was ordered to leave when Yukki arrived, though." Éclair spoke aloud.

"Think Millhiore did that on purpose because of Yukki?" Shinku replied. Éclair only shrugged a response.

"Yes, regardless of the fact your friend told us a lot about this demon. Since it couldn't kill her it had its way with her. Some of the stuff, man… sends chills down my spine. I feel bad for her." Gaul lowered his head. "But the knowledge we received from Yukki was enough for us to start feeling concern. Valder had amassed a massive army in a short time. We couldn't wait any longer, so with the gods on our side we attacked the demon and its army. I think it was nearly two-hundred thousand participated in that battle." Gaul tapped his chin as he spoke. "I was in it, I remember. To make a long story short, we lost. Badly. Those demons targeted our gods, killing them first. Without gods to protect us we were slaughtered." Gaul sunk his head while his body became pale. "One by one the kingdoms and countries feel to the demons. Those soulless bastards raped, looted, and murdered without remorse until we finally submitted. Well, not all of us. Before our two kingdoms fell, my sister and Millhiore set up a joint task force which was to come to Earth and try to find aid. But there was no stopping the demon onslaught. Only myself and another were the only ones to escape to Earth. We were told to meet up with you, Éclair… but we couldn't find you."

"T-That may be my fault." Shinku gulped as he rubbed the back of his head. "See, we kinda moved not long after Éclair showed up…"

"Yeah. I noticed. Thanks a lot, _hero_." Gaul snarled. "But I guess it was for naught, though. A year after arriving from Earth we and by that I mean myself and Rabbit, lost all contact with Galette. Last thing I heard was there was a resistance movement going on." Gaul creaked his neck. "And that's that. Well, all I know anyways. As said I haven't heard from home for the past nine years. Though if they were calling I wouldn't have heard. See, on Earth, I found being a mercenary is extremely lucrative. Pays the bills, gets me what I need, and hell there is always some war going on here."

"You're a _mercenary?_" Both Éclair and Shinku looked dumbfounded at their friend. Gaul only nodded his head.

"Yup. Since I can't use the title of prince anymore, I figured I'd better put my skills to the test. Let me tell you, I have done some shit. Drove tanks, flew helicopters, shot stuff. Shot a lot of stuff."

"So basically you kinda gave up hope on your home and went to work as some low-life gun-for-hire?" Éclair cynically replied.

"Not entirely. I still did what I was told to do. Aid was needed, wasn't it?" Gaul grinned ecstatically as he pulled the Glock from its holster and waved it around. "Turns out we don't need man power as much as guns. And in the middle of a war, it's so easy for guns to go missing." He grinned, returning the pistol to the holster. "So, I'll cut to the chase, you two. I want your help. If this resistant movement is still around they'll need what I can provide. And they'll need some more able-bodied men and women. So, all I ask of you is for assistance providing arms and ammo along with some front-line duties if you will. If you don't want to do it for old times' sake I can gladly pay you whatever you want." Both Shinku and Éclair looked at one another. This was a major bombshell that Gaul dropped on the two so suddenly. Of course Gaul wouldn't just show up for no good reason as well, though. But this was a chance offer to return to Flonyard, even if it was now overrun with depraved demons.

"But, it's a big decision, I know. I'll let you think about it." Gaul reached in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to Shinku. There was an address written on it. "Just let me know what your decision is soon, OK?" Gaul said as he began to walk to the front door. "Oh yes. Please lock your goddamn door next time. Christ, thought I had to break a window but no. Waltzed right in." he added as he left the two. Shinku and Éclair only looked at one another, slowly taking a seat on the couch. They first had to absorb everything they heard.

"So… what should we do." Shinku asked Éclair, his eyes wide and his stomach churning. "I mean, I keep saying I want adventure… but like the old days, yeah? Not like this." Shinku spoke as he got up from his seat and began to pace the room. It was a bit ashaming to admit that he, and Éclair for that matter, had grown accustomed to their life in the suburbs. Boring as it was, the life they lived was stable. Shinku had a good salary and what's more the two were happy. Being offered the chance to fight against demons, and not the kind fought before, was frightening and yet somewhat intriguing. They could be heroes again, he and Éclair. But at what cost, though?

"I want to say we should fight." Éclair honestly answered. "But… I'm a little scared. What Gaul said, if true, would mean we'd be fighting monsters and things out of our league? And with the chance of death…" she looked at Shinku with worrying eyes. "I mean, I want to avenge my homeland. But what if… what if nothing is left? Say we do win, Shinku. Say we do go and fight. And we win. Then what?"

"What do you mean?" Shinku hesitantly asked.

"Y-You know what I mean. If we were to go and fight, there is a big chance we would get separated… and I can't… I don't want that feeling, Shinku." She replied as Shinku knelt beside her and embraced her. She sunk her face in his chest and began to cry. Gaul had left out what had happened to her friends and family, and not knowing was a very scary thing.

"It's OK, Éclair. We don't have to fight." The words left Shinku with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I-It's not… what would my brother say? What would my parents say?" she cried.

"What would _my _parents say?" Shinku muttered to himself as he held Éclair even closer. "You know what, though, let's think about this. We don't have to make a decision tonight. How about we get some rest and we can decide in the morning?" Éclair nodded her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. But that night, neither got much sleep as they pondered what decision to make. Would they leave their dull, but still comfortable lives or would they risk life-and-limb in order to save a supposed oppressed people? What's more, what if the fight was already over and there was no resistance movement? But regardless, by morning the two had come to their conclusion on what they wanted to do. Now came the hard part; telling the other their final decision.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: So that's chapter 1 for ya. For those wondering why I took down the original DDR, let me explain. DDR was written two years ago, back when I was still writing a story called "Strike Witches: Past and Present Collide 2". The squeal to the first PPC, DDR was planned to be the sister story to PPC2 along with being part of the "PPC Series". However, PPC2 kinda faltered out, as did the plot with DDR. So rather then trying to savage the original DDR, I figured it be better to just re-write it and not have it connected in any way or form to PPC. So while some elements will remain the same, like Gaul being a nut and lots of guns, others will be different. Already I set up demons to be the big bads, for one and not some random Russian guy. So yeah. That's about it, really. Hope you enjoy!)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Morning finally peeked its head upon the horizon, sending in long rays of sunlight that penetrated Shinku and Éclair's room. Of course, neither had any sleep to speak of as the couple was restless on pondering their final decision. While Gaul did tell them to take their time for such a life-altering choice, the two felt that time was of the essence and the sooner the decision the better. Though both were sheepish in their final decision.

"So… Éclair…" Shinku rolled over in bed and gently poked Éclair in the back. "I was… thinking about last night. And I've come to a conclusion… well a decision." Éclair rolled onto her back and let out a sigh upon hearing this.

"Well, spill it." She said, sitting upright in bed with Shinku following suit. Gulping, Shinku took Éclair's hands in his before speaking.

"Look, Éclair. You know I love you and would do anything for you. That's why, and I can't really believe I'm saying this, we should do it." He squeezed her hands tight. But to his surprise, Éclair wriggled out of his grip and crossed her arms.

"Shinku, you _know_ that I love you. Which is why we shouldn't go." She relied.

"Huh? I'm confused… you're saying we _shouldn't _go and free your homeland?" Shinku asked, rightly confused. This was not the response he had expected.

"Yes, Shinku, that's what I'm saying." She bought her knees to her chests and sunk her head. "Flonyard… Biscotti… well, you heard what Gaul said. Demons are running loose and God knows if anyone we know is still alive! If we were to go back, I have a gut feeling that chances would be we won't be coming back." She added. "And besides, you have a successful career, don't you? Leaving your job for so long… wouldn't that hurt you in the long run?" That did cross his mind, admittedly. "And, I mean yeah life here is boring but at least we're not dying or anything." She added.

"But what about Millhiore and Ricotta? Or Yukki?" Shinku asked. Éclair frowned at this question.

"You heard what happened to Yukki… chances are, Shinku, that the same happened to them. Regardless or not, you need to remember that chances are they won't be the same." Éclair quivered. Despite being separated from the three for years, Éclair still cared deeply for the three girls. When she heard what had happened to Yukki, her heart sunk. Shinku's heart as well.

"W-Well, we don't necessarily have to fight." Shinku suggested. "What if, instead, we bring our friends here? I mean, I'm sure Gaul and I could work something out."

"You're missing the picture here, Shinku!" Éclair bolted out of bed and paced the room. "My world isn't going to be the same! And for that matter, this isn't some vacation. Shinku, you understand that if we go chances are pretty good we'll die. I hope you understand that!" Éclair narrowed her eyes at Shinku. "What's more, if there are no nations left in Flonyard then what is there to look forward to if we defeat the demons? Let alone how the hell are we going to do that in the first place? If Gaul is right, there are likely millions of monsters running around. How do you think three people can fight off a horde like that? I know Gaul talked about using guns, but unless he's packing a lot of ammo I doubt we could barely make a dent."

Éclair was right about this, of course. There was too much left unanswered, too much of a risk. And truthfully, Shinku didn't want to go. He made his decision because he wanted to make Éclair happy. But looking at her body language, the anger in her eyes, he found that maybe his answer wasn't for the best.

"Well, I guess you're right." Shinku sighed, glancing briefly over at the alarm clock. "I suppose it would be for the best if we don't go." He said. Éclair nodded her head and took a seat on the bed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. Shinku tried to think of something to say, but couldn't find anything that could make Éclair happy. "Say, how about I go make breakfast? I'll make your favorite, maple pancakes." And with that, Éclair's tail began to wag. Shinku smiled as he walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "You go get ready for the day and I'll start breakfast." He threw on a t-shirt and made his way to the kitchen, Tatsumaki following close behind. When he did arrive in the kitchen, he was greeted by an unpleasant sight. Gaul was sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper in hand. Sitting on the table was a plate of scrambled eggs and Gaul's pistol.

"Well, good morning." Gaul said as he read through the newspaper. "How are you today?"

"How did you get into my house?" Shinku folded his arms and frowned. Gaul only gave a passing glance at Shinku before returning to the paper. Tatsumaki promptly growled at the man.

"I told you to lock your doors."

"I _did_."

"Well, get lock-picking-proof locks next time."

"I have an alarm system. How the hell did you get in here?" Shinku asked. Gaul rolled his eyes as he placed the paper aside and turned to Shinku.

"Let's see, an easy-pick lock and an alarm system that's simple to outsmart verses a mercenary. Hmm, I wonder who won?" Gaul sarcastically answered. "Now, onto the pressing matter at hand; what did you decide?"

"We're not going." Shinku declared, walking over to the stove to examine the frying pan that Gaul had used.

"Oh? How come?"

"There are too many variables we don't know about." Shinku replied, rolling his eyes at the remnants of eggs that were stuck to the pan.

"Like what?" Gaul asked.

"Let's see. We don't know if anyone is alive, for starters. Also, we have the whole problem of facing millions of demons along with the possibility that Flonyard is just too far gone to attempt anything."

"Hmm, you _sure _you're Shinku? Cause you certainly don't sound like him." Gaul turned around and began to work on the eggs. "The Shinku I remember would have said yes without a second thought." Gaul spoke between mouthfuls.

"The Shinku you knew was naïve and reckless." Shinku replied, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Well, if you're worried about dying keep in mind I said I would mainly need you for running ammo and guns. Some frontline duty if you will." Gaul stopped for a moment to finish chewing his food. "Now, I got Rabbit doing some scouting for me and she should be back soon with the report. So, how's about this. Before you make any rash decisions just hear the report out and maybe come on a recon mission with me. If you think it's truly dangerous, you can walk away and I won't hold anything against you. Does that sound reasonable to you?"

"What is this report going to cover?" Shinku raised an eyebrow. Gaul gave a devilish grin as he stretched in his chair.

"Well, all the questions you have. Who's alive, who's not. If there is any resistance movements or not. All the logistics and variables. That sort of shit."

"And how long will it take for the report to be done?" Shinku asked.

"In about a week."

"And _that's _soon?"

"Soon enough for me… you have no idea how time flies as a merc." Shinku covered his face with his hand and loudly groaned.

"Gaul… if it's going to take a week then why did you make it sound this was such an urgent issue?"

"Well it is an urgent issue. But I like to know things in advance." That was a pretty valid answer, Shinku thought. "And also training."

"Training?"

"Yes. You ever shot a gun?" Gaul asked, finishing his breakfast.

"Well… do videogames count?"

"No. Not at all." Gaul glared at Shinku. "Here, tell me if there is a round in the chamber. And please don't shoot yourself." Gaul ejected the magazine from his Glock and handed it to Shinku. The young man gulped as he held the gun in his trembling hand. Now, Shinku knew well enough to not look down the barrel of a gun. But besides that he had no way of knowing how to check to see if a round was in the chamber. In video games there was always that handy HUD that showed you how much ammo was left. But of course that was in video games. This was real life.

"So… um…" he fiddled with the gun. "We, err… press this button?"

"That's the mag release." Gaul sighed.

"Oh… how about this button?"

"That's the safety…" Gaul sighed once again. "Hand it over." He reached out a hand. Shinku relented and placed the pistol back in Gaul's palm. Without a further thought, Gaul grabbed the slide of the pistol and slid it back, a single round flinging from the chamber. "You rack the slides or check the magazine. Simple."

"Ah… I see." Shinku scratched his head as Éclair walked into the room, frowning at seeing Gaul once again.

"Shinku, you never told me we were having _guests_." She hissed.

"Nice seeing you as well." Gaul rolled his eyes. "So, Shinku, wanna fill your girl in?" Shinku nodded and began to tell Éclair about Gaul's plan. She crossed her arms and frowned as she listened, but waited until Shinku was done talking.

"Shinku… No." Éclair replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "No. I don't want either of us doing this."

"Oh ho?" Gaul raised a brow. "So our famous Biscotti Captain is scared?"

"Shut your mouth!" Éclair yelled, slamming her hands on the kitchen table. "I'm not some damn coward!"

"I never said that." Gaul shrugged. "_You _did." He gave a sly smile. Éclair became red in the face while Gaul rose from his seat. "Well, this has been lovely but I best be on my way. Thanks for the meal. I'll contact you guys later." And with that Gaul left the room, leaving Éclair and Shinku alone.

"I-I'm not a coward…" Éclair mumbled, clutching her hands tightly.

"Éclair…" Shinku approached her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I know you're not a coward. And I agree with you. I…"

"No…" she whispered. "He's right… I'm a coward…"

"You're not!" Shinku argued. "Éclair, we both know you're not some coward!"

"I am!" Éclair responded, shaking her fist. "I was the one that said we shouldn't go… and I was the one that left." She mumbled the last part.

"OK." Shinku sighed and patted her shoulder. "So you're a coward. So am I." he added, avoiding eye contact. "We're a couple of cowards."

"Ain't that the truth?" Éclair chuckled, wiping away a forming tear. She knew well enough what Shinku was about to do; a very cheesy and poorly executed speech. "We're a couple of cowards alright. The world we love got mauled and we're not going to help. You can save the speech, though."

"Alright." Shinku replied. "So, what do you want to do then?"

* * *

><p>Shinku gave a yawn as he looked at the clock on the wall. It was only three-thirty and Shinku was already done with his daily workload. It had been a week since Gaul's unannounced arrival, and he and Éclair had plenty of time to think over their decision. This would explain why Shinku was browsing around gun websites, researching as many different makes and models along with proper ways to care and handle guns. While California had become more lenient on its gun laws since the war, this still didn't mean you could walk down the street with an AR. The young man anxiously tapped his foot, keeping an eye over his shoulder to ensure no coworker would walk by and get the wrong idea.<p>

When the clock finally hit five, Shinku prepared to head home. Packing his things he also made sure to clear his browser history on the computer before leaving. While heading to the door, his phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Shinku asked.

"Hey, you done with work yet?" Éclair's voice replied.

"Yeah, just got out." Shinku rubbed the back of his neck while he headed for his car. "Killer day."

"And it'll only get worse." Éclair replied with a slight chuckle. "Anyways, I'll be out front."

"Yup. I'll swing by in a moment." Shinku paused for a moment as he stood by the driver's side of his car. "So we're really going to do this, huh?"

"We decided on this already, Shinku. Don't wimp out on me now." Éclair sighed.

"I'm not, I'm not. Just a bit anxious is all." He replied, getting into the car and sticking the keys into the ignition switch. "Anyways I'm in the car now. So I'll see you in a bit. Love you."

"Love you too." Éclair replied before Shinku's phone clicked. With that, Shinku swung out of the parking lot and headed home. He and Éclair were going to take Gaul up on his offer, or at least hear the report out.

* * *

><p>"Alright, so we want to take a right here." Éclair directed Shinku, reading over the GPS on her phone.<p>

"You sure we're in the right place? This looks like a pretty shady neighborhood." Shinku commented as he looked around at the old buildings that surrounded him. He gulped as he made passing eye contact with a few seedy characters, knowing well enough that his baby blue Prius stuck out like a really sore thumb. Shinku, also being half-Japanese and half-British, stuck out amongst the ethnicities of those around him.

"This is what the GPS is saying. Take a left here." Éclair, her eyes still looking down at the phone, pointed out the next stop to Shinku. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, taking the turn and finding himself rolling down a road that led to an abandoned warehouse. "Well, that's quaint." Éclair looked away from her phone. "And in a bad neighborhood as well." She looked at her surroundings.

"Yeah… You don't say." Shinku still kept a firm grip on the steering wheel.

"This is the place, though." Éclair compared the piece of paper with the address that Gaul gave the two with the address listed on her phone. "So where do we park?" Éclair asked the nervous Shinku.

"Place where we won't get carjacked." He mumbled.

"Oh! How about there?" Éclair pointed to an old parking lot that lay in front of the building. Shinku only hesitantly nodded, finding a spot besides an empty and rusted container. Leaving the car, Éclair led the way while Shinku kept an eye over his shoulder. Approaching the front of the warehouse, the two found the doors locked.

"Well, we tried. Back to the car." Shinku turned around though loudly sighed and shook his head as Éclair knocked on the metal door. From behind the door came a mumble and the sounds of locking being undone before the door slide open and a girl dressed in camouflage with rabbit ears greeted the two with a gun in-hand.

"Five seconds to explain who you are and what you want." The girl rubbed the barrel of her Glock into Éclair's forehead. The girl's face was sunken and her eyes empty, though her busty figure was prominent.

"H-Hey now! We're just here to see Gaul!" Shinku stepped in.

"He's right, Rabbit. Drop your gun." Gaul spoke from behind the girl. She only eyed Gaul, yet responded to his demands. Lowering her gun, she flipped the safety on the handgun before sliding it into a leg holster. "Yeesh, sorry about that you two. She's a bit paranoid." Gaul slapped Shinku across his back before ushering the two into the building. "Well, this is Rabbit. Rabbit, Shinku and Éclair."

"Charmed." "Rabbit" replied without much emotion in her voice.

"You'll have to forgive her. She lost her emotions in the war." Gaul patted her on the back.

"Go fuck yourself, sir." Vert narrowed her eyes at Gaul, her tone not chancing.

"Awww, you know you love me." Gaul grinned.

"Um, Rabbit, you look kinda familiar." Shinku pointed out, noting her figure and short blonde hair.

"Yes. I presume we met before. You knew me as Vert Far Breton." She replied.

"Right." Shinku snapped his finger, though still having no clue who Vert was.

"She used to work with me as a member of Génoise." Gaul chimed in, bringing the four to a small room furnished with an old table and broken vending machine. Laying on the table were a varieties of maps and charts "OK. So we're all here. Let's get down to business!" He added, looking over at Vert.

"Oh, yes." Vert cleared her throat, leaning over the table. "My mission and the results. Where should I start, sir?" she asked Gaul. So it would seem that Gaul called Vert "Rabbit" and in return she called him "sir". Interesting relationship, Éclair and Shinku thought to themselves.

"Wherever you want." Gaul folded his arms and leaned up against the old vending machine.

"Well, the environment seems fine enough. I noted some recession in the environment, such as forests, but besides that everything is in good shape." She pointed to a place on the map noted as "Dragon's Forest". "The same can't be said for the cities. Most seem to be in despair if not ruined. Some towns have seemingly gone by unharmed." Vert added.

"How's the population?" Gaul asked.

"Still holding. Not as enslaved as I would have thought, but the people around are scared. Seems an unofficial curfew is in place. Rarely anyone goes out after midnight and to see a woman on the street in unheard of. Demons are around, lots of them. The more "civilized" ones can be found in the cities and towns. The "uncivilized" ones are found roaming the wilds. Typical if you ask me."

"Relationships?"

"Surprisingly fair. Demons seem to keep to themselves within the cities. People even intermingle with the demons. However, it's not uncommon for a band of demons to more or less extort small villages and towns for "protection". There doesn't seem to be any rulers or rules _per say_, each city and town does have its own set of laws and guards though. Likely set in place by the demons."

"Not really the post-apocalypse scenario I'd imagine." Shinku raised an eyebrow. It sounded terrible, or course, but overall this didn't sound like the usual scenario one would associate with demon invasion.

"Resistance?" Gaul asked, ignoring Shinku.

"None. If any it would be small and likely unorganized. People seem intent on just scraping by. However, I did learn some informative tidbits." She pointed to a city on the map, the former capitol city of Biscotti. "Remember that wizard who more or less started this who fiasco? We'll he decided to take up residents here; tore down the old palace and made a fortress in its place. What's more, he has Leomitchelli Galette Des Rois and Millhiore F. Biscotti as his personal pets." Vert loudly and painfully said. No one said a thing.

"My sister is alive…" Gaul mumbled. Éclair and Shinku both eyed each other. They were both trembling. If Millhiore was alive, could the others be alive as well?

"However, I'm not entirely sure the fate of our former friends and family. It would be safe to assume that they are dead." Vert added coldly. "But this is all that I gathered on my trip."

"Can we kill them?" Shinku asked suddenly. All eyes turned on the young man. "Those demons. Can we kill them?"

"We can." Vert nodded. "Bullets affect them. I may be somewhat over optimistic here, but these demons seem weaker than the ones we used to face. They're smaller, easier to kill, and lack any major form of magic."

"But winning against them, though." Gaul cupped his chin. "I'd had hoped some resistance movement was going on. They're likely millions crawling around by now.

"So what do we do?" Éclair asked, gazing over the contents of the table. "There's no resistance movement like you guessed. We _would _be the resistance movement." Gaul was silent and began to pace the room, his tail twitching as he did. So his expectations were dashed but at the same time, his sister and Millhiore were alive.

"Sir?" Vert added.

"Hold on, I'm thinking." He raised a finger to the group. "OK, so we don't have the manpower. And there is no resistance movement to speak of. So I suppose there would be no harm in not doing anything." He rubbed his face and stretched. "But at the same time, we know both Leo and Millhiore are alive. Possibly others. So, we have two options then. We could do nothing, or we could pull a limited operation."

"Limited operation?" Éclair asked.

"Yes." Gaul snapped his finger. "We'll simply go to Flonyard, get Leo, Millhiore and anyone else if they're alive and bring them back. Along the way we wreck as much shit as we can. Maybe it can inspire a movement."

"Gaul." Éclair pinched the bridge of the nose. "That sounds like _the worst _idea I've ever heard. I mean, we could get ourselves or them killed!"

"That's the point." Vert spoke. "No pain, no gain. We either win or we don't."

"That's not a really valid reason." Éclair replied.

"Well, I said if they didn't want to do it they didn't have to." Gaul intervened. "And it's clear the two don't want to help us. No shame in that. They did look at our offer and decided to not help."

"H-Hey." Shinku complained. "We never said that we _weren't _going to help." He looked at Éclair for support, but she didn't make eye contact and shy away.

"Well, you know what's at stake." Gaul shrugged. "Again, it's really up to you and I'm not going to hold anything against you two if you refuse. We did agree that you would just hear me out. Just acknowledge that there are lives at stake. Lives we care for." Shinku sighed at this and rubbed his forehead. Gaul was trying to guilt him, no doubt about it.

"Give us one more day." Shinku replied. Éclair eyed him as he spoke. "Just… one more day to figure things out, OK?"

"Fine by me. You have twenty-four hours to decide." Gaul answered. "Rabbit, mind leading them out?"

"Certainly." Vert replied as she ushered the two out of the run-down building. To Shinku's relief, his car was untouched. "I'm a bit disappointed in both of you." Vert spoke in a cold tone as she led them to the car. "I would have expected you two, of all people, to jump at the chance of helping our home."

"You don't need to rub it in." Éclair replied, sliding her hands into her pockets. At the car, Vert parted ways with the duo; they slid into their place in silence.

"Well, we did what you wanted. We heard him out. So what do you wanna do? "Éclair leaned back in her seat.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Shinku replied as he started the car up. "I'll do whatever you want."

"That's _my _line." Éclair said, staring out the window. Shinku chuckled a bit as he glanced over at Éclair, gently patting her head.

"Éclair, you know I'll do whatever you want. All you got to do is tell me what that is."

"I want to help." She responded, sinking in her seat while Shinku began to rub her ear. "Y-Yet… I'm scared. I know that it won't be the same, she won't be the same." Éclair was referring to Millhiore. "What will she think of me? Will she view me as a coward? A wimp?"

"Éclair." Shinku brought her into an embrace. "She knows that you aren't a coward. She sent you here because she loves you. She wanted you to live. She wanted _both _of us to live."

"Shinku." Éclair gently pushed him away before looking him in the eye with a loving look. "Your speeches are terrible."

* * *

><p>"So what do you think, sir?" Vert asked Gaul who was sitting beside an old table. In front of him was an old disassembled SCAR-L, which he was cleaning.<p>

"Think about what?" Gaul replied as he rubbed a cloth over the rifle's barrel.

"Them. Will they be reliable? Can we trust them?" Vert replied. Gaul stopped what he was doing and laughed.

"Does it matter?" he laughed. "You and me…"

"It's _you and I_, sir." Vert interrupted.

"Whatever. We're going to go through with the plan. If they're alive… our friends and family… I want to save them. _We _want to save them." He paused for a moment, a small smile creaking over his lips. "I wonder what Noir and Jaune would think about this?"

"Jaune would likely say something like "come on guys, let's do it"." Vert tried to copy Jaune's voice, but of course failed.

"Yeah! And Noir would say something snarky. Like, um…" he cupped his chin as he looked over at Vert, noticing that she was trembling. "Oh. I'm sorry." He looked away, his own face becoming troubled.

"No. Its fine, sir." She sighed and patted Gaul's shoulder. "I'm sure they would think we're doing the right thing if they were here."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Phew. Sorry for taking so long. Though I kinda hate a third season started right as I was writing this. Though catch the third season if you can. It's pretty good!)**


End file.
